Telford United 1 Shrewsbury Town 0

Last updated : 06 April 2004 By Footymad Previewer

A Sam Ricketts goal in the 62nd minute was enough to give Telford United the honours in their latest Shropshire derby against Shrewsbury Town.

The Shrews started brightly and Telford goalkeeper Chris MacKenzie had to be at his best to deny Duane Darby with two long-range efforts on a skiddy New Bucks Head surface.

The Bucks' first opening came on 23 minutes when John Grant turned and shot from the edge of the box but his powerful effort was straight at Scott Howie.

The visitors continued to create the clearer openings in the first half and should have gone a goal up on the stroke of half-time when Darby's shot was parried away by MacKenzie and a shot from Jody Banim was cleared off the line by Neil Howarth.

Telford began to take the game more to Shrewsbury after the break and Craig Stanley troubled Howie with a well-struck effort from distance.

The Bucks continued to have the better of the game and took a deserved lead when Howarth's cross found Ricketts who headed into the bottom corner of the net from 12 yards.

Michael Blackwood and Anwar Uddin both forced saves from Howie in the dying minutes, while Shrewsbury's best chance of an equaliser came three minutes from time when Luke Rodgers' 30-yard effort went just over the bar as Telford held on for a famous victory.